In motor vehicles, a large amount of information is conveyed to the driver using displays, each having a dial and a pointer. In general, each type of information, for example speed, engine speed (rpm), and fuel level, is displayed on a separate dial. This way of displaying the information means that usually the display unit containing the dials is cluttered and the dials have to be made smaller in order to show all of the required information. Furthermore, the layout of the dials may mean that some of the information is not clearly visible to the driver at all times.
In addition to the information displayed on dials, there may also be further displays for indicating vehicle conditions, for example a fuel level warning indicator or an oil temperature warning light. All of these also require space in the display unit and must be clearly visible to the driver.
In addition, there is often a requirement to provide the customer with a quality feel. This quality feel is sometimes achieved by mounting or moving mechanical components in a manner which does not appear to be possible to the viewer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pointer display, which deals with these limitations.